Paper cups



C. T. BREWER Sept 10, 1957 v PAPER CUPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 3,195

ATTORNEY Sept 10, 1957 c T. BREWER PAPER CUPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledMarch 3, 1954 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent PAPER CUPS Clarence T. Brewer, Oak Park, 11].,assignor, by mesne assignments, to American Can Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 3, 1954, Serial No.413,783 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-15) This invention relates to paper cups andmore particularly to conical cups.

Such cups, as commonly manufactured and used, have sharp pointed ends.Attempts have been made to blunt or round the ends but such blunted orrounded ends have not been entirely satisfactory since the compressedends or folds or creases therein tend to sag and open up and leak due tothe weight of the liquid. To overcome this tendency, cup holders havebeen provided with bottom supports. v

This invention has for its object to provide a truncated conical cupwith a bottom so constructed that the weight of the liquid in the cupwill not cause the bottom to sag or cause creases therein to open up.

Another object of the invention is to provide a truncated conical cupwith a folded or pleated bottom so constructed and shaped that it willhave greater internal pressuch resistance than a flat or rounded bottom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conical cup with acompressed bottom that is substantially uniform in thickness throughoutthe compressed portion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conical cup with acompressed bottom so shaped as to facilitate turbulence and mixing ofthe liquid therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a truncated conical cupwith a compressed bottom so shaped that the cup can rest upright on thebottom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a truncated conical cup,so formed that when the blank is folded to form the conical cup thebottom portion of the cup to be compressed will be multiple and uniformin thickness.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conical cup in which thearea to be compressed .and truncated will be of substantially uniformstrength before and after it is truncated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conical cup with an apexor blunting area that can be evenly compressed and blunted by formingfolds or pleats from the apex successively toward the cup mouth. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a conical cup with an apexor blunting area that can be evenly compressed and blunted by formingfolds or pleats from the apex successively toward the cup mouth by ananvil, clamping sleeve, and punch or plunger shaped to produce thedesired shape of bottom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conical cup, so formedthat the area of the cup wall to be truncated will have uniformfoldability.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the followingspecification taken in connection with the drawings which form a part ofthis application, and in which- Fig. l is a plan view of the blank usedin making the cup;

Fig. 2 is a view showing how the blank is wound on a mandrel;

V Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the conical cup;

Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sectional views taken sub- Patented Sept.10, 1957 stantially on lines 4-4 and 55 of Fig. 3, looking in thedirection of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is an elevational View of the truncated cup;

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the cup shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an elevational view, partly in vertical section, of the cupshown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the truncated lowerend of the cup shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of the truncated cup bottom; and

Fig. 11 shows a portion of a cup with a modified bottom.

The blank for forming the cup will vary in shape and dimensions,depending on the cone angle of the cup to be formed, but whatever thesize and cone angle the portion of the blank which forms the apex andthe portion of the apex to be truncated must be so shaped as to form asubstantially uniform double or multiple thickness of material at thetruncated portion. If the thickness is not uniform, the bottom of thetruncated cup will not be evenly or uniformly compressed, unless specialprecautions are taken, and, moreover, cannot be so folded during thecompression of the apex as to form uniform and even folds.

One form of blank suitable for this purpose is illustrated and will bedescribed, but the blank per se is not claimed herein and will becovered by a separate application.

The blank 10 shown has an arcuate edge 11 which forms the mouth of thecup. At one end of portion 11 is a substantially flat portion 12 whichmerges into a recessed or arcuate portion 13. As shown in Fig. 2, theapex of the mandrel 20 is disposed substantially at the point X of theblank at the lower end of the arcuate or recessed portion 13. Thisrecess prevents the blank from being folded back on the mandrel, formingan extra thickness of material.

Below the point X there is formed a tab 16 having edges 17 and 18. Thistab forms the double thickness at the apex of the cup when the blank isfolded. The edge 18 is arcuate and is formed on substantially the sameradius as the edge portion 13, so that when the blank is folded theseedges substantially meet, although a slight variation or overlap may beprovided if desired.

The bottom of the blank, viewing Fig. 1, extends between the edge 18 andthe lower end of edge 11 and forms the overlap which is cemented to thecup wall.

The blank is Wound around a mandrel 20 in the manner shown and theoverlapping edge portions are secured together to form a pointed conicalcup. Attention is called to the fact that the end portion of the cup tobe compressed to form a truncated cup is of substantially uniform doublethickness. This is important since the compression dies will actuniformly over the wall area to be compressed and form a uniform doublethickness bottom.

After the pointed conical cup has been formed, the pointed end iscompressed between an anvil or die inside the cup and an outer die orpunch, the dies being so constructed and shaped as to engage the pointedportion of the cup wall and force this portion inwardly and upwardlyinto the cup so that the double thickness of the cup wall will beuniformly compressed into substantially circumferential, concentriccorrugations or folds 25 substantially vertical with reference to thecup axis. The bottom of the cup wall is preferably rounded, as shown at26. The corrugations in the bottom are folded and compacted, formingcompressed, corrugated folds. Figs. 9 and 10 show the compactedcorrugations or folds substantially as 7 closer together, whereas, witha downwardly extending rounded bottom, the weightgof the liquid tends tocause the bottorrrto sag and the pleats to open up;

In'addition to providing a compression resistant the particular shape ofbottom facilitates and promotes turbulence and 'proper mixing of thecontents. i Fof instance, the syrup will run to the outer periphery ofthe cup bottom and When the carbonated or other ingredient is introduceditwill more readily promote the circulation of the syrup and'the mixingthereof, due to the maximum radius of gyration, This radius is obviouslymuch greater than in a pointed cup or downwardly blunted or lrouiidedamwhc h i y t e tat e wes Pa t:

Although one specific embodiment of the invention has been particularlyshown and described-it will be understood that theinvention'is capableof modification iand that changes in the construction and in thearrangement of the various cooperating parts may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention, as expressedin thefollowing claims.

h t I sla v s t 1. A truncated, conical, single piece, paper cup havinga conical Wall and a compressed, compacted, corrugated bottom havingsubstantially upright concentric folds extending'inwardly from itsperipheral edge, th e upper surface of the bottombeingsubstantiallyjconvex and the bottom extending upwardly from thelower marginal edge of the cup wall and beingencompassed by the Wall ofthe cup, whereby liquid in the cup will moisten and swell the uprightfolds and the weight of the liquid will have a tendencyto fiatten the'upper convex surface of the bottom and further compress the uprightfolds, said bottom having a pluralit y of layers or apeiand'bixigsubstantially uniform in thickness "throughout the compressed area. 7

2. A truncated, conical, single piece, paper cup having a conical walland a tightly compressed corrugated bottom having substantially uprightconcentric folds extending inwardly from its peripheral edge, the uppersurface of the bottom being substantially convex and the bottomextending upwardly from thelow'er marginal edge of the cup Wall andbeing encompassed'by the wall'of'the cup, whereby liquid in the cup willmoisten and -'swell'the upright folds and the weightof the. liquid willhave a tendency to flatten the upper convex surface of the bottom andfurther compress the uprightfolds, said bottom being substantiallyuniform in thickness throughout the compressed area.

Referrits' Citdin'the'filebf thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Amberg eta1. Mar. 30, 1954

